Floor-finishing apparatus.



No. 866,074. y PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

v RSGHENK. FLOOR FINISHING .f xPPAfmTus.y

APPLICATION FILBD'JUNE 6, 1906.

FIG. 1

' f2 o wf ii" 2x7 ffl 3 W /6 7 e Wi 26a ..5 y ly ,Z2 ,l "H" 'l l i Z0 2( Z0 IHIIIHIHIIIIIII 'lIIIIIIIIIIHIHIHIIHHH 4/ E /5 @i if: Y A'// 11i 30 /f/f'/ E u :Ei al I 4 7 G ze i 26 f n /3 n|||||||||||i|| IIIIHHIIIIIIHIIHIIHIII FIG. 3 Il f4 @@S-zs -l Ll ai?? wlTNEssEs, l Ill- INVENTOB. frww ma 4M, j @a/Z. ,M0/Lg EDUARD soHENK, or sHERADAN 'BOROUGH, PENNsYLvANIA.

FLOOR-FINISHING APPARATUS.

Specification of, Letters Patent. Y

. 'Patented sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed J une 61906. Serial No. 320,444.

To all whom it may concern:

Bo it known that I, Eo'UAnD ScnENK, a resident of Sheradan borough, in the county of Allegheny and/'State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement `in Floor-Finishing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare -the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof. I

lhis invention relates to surfacing machines such as abrading and polishing machines for finishing floors or other` surfaces.

The object of'my inventionis to improve the construction pf machines of this character so as to render to simplify and reduce the costthereof.

Many kinds of floors and oth/er surfaces must be dressed ofi' or polished to smoothlen theisame. My' in vention provides a machine for this purpose. which is light, simple and easy to handle. It has been found by the same more ellicient and casier to handle, as well .as

experience that in orderto properly smoothen mostfloors very little pressure should be applied to the tool,

but the latter should merely skim over the floor. My

machine is especially designedY togivethis useful'resuit, and is so constructed that it can be handled with a minimum amount of laborso as to avoid the possibility of throwing so much weight on the tool as to injure the surface being dressed.

The invention consists of details of arrangement and construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying'drawings Figure 1 is in part a side view and in pat ay section of my machine on the line 1- 1, Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a planview of the same; Fig.

i 3 is afront view of the head of the machine; and Fig. 4

is a detail section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2.

My machine comprises a suitable frame 1 preferably of skeleton construction, as shown, an/d having at one end, which I will term the `forward end, a head 2 in which is mounted the verticalspindle 3, the latter at its lower end carrying the tool or tools. The upper end of the spindle is provided with a pulley, sprocket wheel or the like, 4, which is connected by a belt to a similar wheel 6 on the shaft 7 Of an electric motor 8 mounted in the rear end of the frame 1. The machine is mounted on comparatively large wheels 10 which are journaled to the frame intermediate its ends and between the head 2 and motor S. The object of this is to, as far as possible, cmlnter-balance the head 2A by the motor 8 so that the machine is very nearly balanced, andthe topls will not bepresscd upon the floorwith too great a weight, and the machine s a whole can be much more easily handled, as it will require only a slight lift on the han- 'dles 11- connected to the head 2 to 4move the machine around as is necessary when finishing the 'surface of a tgender the moving of the ont tools are used, or to alter the amount of weight with lwhich the tool bears on the floor, a suitable adjustment for the counter-balance is provided.v This can be effected in any way, such for instance as mounting the motor 8 on th e frame lso as to be adjustable toward and from the journals ofthe wheels. Preferably, however, it is effected by adjustably connecting the axle 12 of the wheels to the frame l, this being effected by means of U-shaped clamps 13 connecting said axle to the top members 14 of the side frames. It is obvious that by moving the axle either forwardly or backwardly the counter-lalance can be varied in any desired manner.

The motor 8 is' actuated from lead wires 16 coming from any suitable source and the controlling mechanism for the motor, such as the switch 17 and rheostat may be mounted on a plate 18 connected' to the rear end of the frame 1. I

With most machines of this character a single flat faced disk or cylinder is connected to the tool shaft 3. Such disks have a zone of no, or limited, movement at the center thereof, which zone performs little or no work. In my improved machine I use a plurality of tools, two such tools 20 being shown mounted in a cross head 2l secured to the lower end of the shaft 3. TheV tools 2O have their spindles 22 freely rotatable in bearings 23 in the cross head 21 so that in the rotation of the shaft they are carried in paths of revolution and may also freely rotate on their axes. In this way the finishing tool has no zone which performs no `or little y work.

In all machines of this character it is the practice to provide suction apparatus for conveying away the dust or other particles removed. from the floor. For

this purpose I provide directly on the shaft 3 two 0r more blower or fan blades 25 which are within a hood 26 covering the tool and projectingclose to the surface being finished. This hood has connected thereto one end of a conduit 26a which leads to a dust receptacle 27 carried by the frame l1. In the rotation of the shaft 3 the blades 25 act as fans and blow the dust produced through the conduit 26L into receptacle 27. Said blades ofcourse are so placed that they force the air upwardly` into the'conduit 26 instead of downwardly toward the floor. l' V The head 2 is adjustably secured to the frame 1 in a Amanner to permit raising and lowering the headrjor to incline the shaft so as to cause the tool to bearon the fioor with its full face, or only on a side. This is effected by providing horizontal slots 28 and vertical slots 29, one set inthe frame member and the other in the head member, together with 'suitable securing bolts30. The vertical slotsallow for raising and lowering the head 2 to accommodate Various tools or for other purposes, while the horizontal slots permit the head to be swung `to bring the spindle 3 to any desired inclination. y

The machine describedis simple of construction, of

iinimum .weight and eflicieii in operation. The counter-balancing of the tool head by means of they motor, as described, prevents any possibility of the tool bearing against the surface being finished with too `great pressure so that danger of injuring the same is avoided. This counter-balancing of the machine also renders itvery easy of manipulation as the operator need apply only very little force on the handles 11 in order to move the machine around. The large wheels also are o decided advantage for this purpose. l 4

1. portable surface finishing vmachine comprising a frame, v. iinishing head on the front end of said frame, a motor on 'the rear end of the frame, a wheeled support pivotallyX connected to the frame between the head and motor, whereby the latter counter-balances the head, driving connections from the motor to the head, and a'handle on the forward end of said framefor manipulating themachie.

2.*5A portable surface finishing machine comprising a frame, a rotary finishing tool carried on/ one end of said frame, 'a motor on the other end of the frame, driving `connections from the motor to the tool, a wheeled support ,pivotallyv connected to the frame het"ween the tool and motor, whereby the lattercounter-balances the tool, adn

, justing means for varying the counter-balancafand a handiel 0n the tool end' of the franje for` manipulating the machine.

c 3.' A portable surface finishing machine comprising a on the other end of the frame, 'a single pair of wheels com l nected to the frame betwecn'the finishing head and motor,

w ierehy the latter counter-balances the head, means peri' mltting adjustment of the wheels longitudinally of the frame in order to vary the` counter-balance, and a'hnndle on the head-end of the fname for` manlpulating the machine. x

'4. portable surface iinishing machine compi-Ising a \frame, a iinlshlng head on the forward end of said frame,4 a motor on 'the rear end of the frame, driving connections Ifrom the motos to the finishing head, a single. p alr oi?- ,la'rge wheels constituting the soie supporting means of themachine when -in use, an axle for saidwheels secured-tol the trame hetvveenvthe head and motor and above 'the center of gravity ofthe flatter, and a handle o n the forward `end ot the frame. f

j l5.- A 'portabie surface finishing machincomprising a skeleton trame, a finishing head on the forward' end of said` frame, a motor on the rear .end of the frame, driving con nectlons' from the motor to the tjnishing head, a single pair of large whccls constituting the sole support of the machine when in use. an axle for said wheels secured to the skeleton frame between the head an'd motor, means for adjusting said axle longitudinally of said frame, and a handle on the forward end of the -frame foi',mai\ipu'lating .the machine.

6. A portable surface finishing machine comprising a frame', a vertical shaft mounted on the forward end of the frame and carrying a finishing tool at its lowerend. a motor inounted on the rear'v end of the frame, driving.: connections from the motor to said tool shaft, a single pair of large wheels journaled to' the frame hcl-wcen the tool shfft and motor and above the center of gravity of the latter and 'being the soit` supporting means of the machine when in use, and a handle on the forward end of the iframe. l 3

7. A portable surface iinishiug machine. comprising a frame, wheels upon which the same is mounted', n head secured to the frame in' .means permitting.r the same to hc inclined from a vertical position` a vcrticultool spindle rovtatahly mounted i'n said hcad. a motor on thc frame. and

driving,r connections from the motor to thelool spindle.

8.' A portahlc surface finishing machine comprising: a frame. a single. pair oi' whccls upon which said frame is mounted, n tool carrying.Y head, moans for sccurini.r the head to the framdso as to permit adjustment hoth vcr.- tlcally and at an inclination tothe perpendicular, a ver- Ltical tool spindlc mounted in said tool head, a motr mounted op thc frame. u. vertical moti-r shaft. and driving connections from the motor to the tool, spindle. t). A portable.llnishing machine com risinga frame, a h/ ead secured' to thc forward end the. .of hy connecting:

r lucanls permtting'said"hcad to he adjusted vertically and also inclined withjrcfcrcncc to a vertical position; a vcrticul tool spindle rotatably mounted in said head. a motor on the opposite endof snid frame. driving connections hcA 'twscn the motor and tool spindle, and a singiepair of wheels connected lo thc frame between thc hcadand the motor. in testimony whereof, ijhe said Enmnn Scnnxr: have hereunto` set my hand. l 

